A Gift of Three (A Shade of Vampire #42)(39)

What was that?

I listened for the sound again, my heartbeat running at such a rapid and loud pace that I had trouble hearing anything else.

“Serena.” The call came again from outside the window. It sounded more like a whisper, called out in a tense, anguished voice… could that be the boys? I ran over and peered out into the garden. In the moonlight, I could make out two figures at the far end of the lawn.

What are they doing?

“Serena, come on,” they called again urgently, and this time I distinctly placed it as Field’s voice. I was instantly angry—whatever they were doing, we should have gone downstairs together!

“What are you doing?” I called out as loudly as I dared.

“Just get down here. We’ll explain!” Jovi shot back.

Ugh. “Okay, I’m coming!” I hissed, and waved at them both, indicating that I was coming down. I picked up the lamp from the bedside table and hurried out of the door. I ran as quietly as I could along the hallway, keeping my footsteps light and avoiding looking at any of the disturbing artifacts that had freaked me out earlier.

When I reached the staircase, I moved more slowly, avoiding the crack and wincing at every creak in the wood. I headed straight for the greenhouse, hoping that the Druid hadn’t had time to fix the glass pane. When I entered the tropical heat of the room, I was relieved to find that the exit was still open, and I picked my way gingerly across the glass-covered floor. I placed the lamp down by the exit and then stepped out onto the lawn.

I sighed with relief when I saw that they were still waiting for me—they hadn’t moved from their position at the edge of the lawn. I hurried into the overgrown grass, wondering if this was a stupid idea. The Druid had said that leaving the grounds was close to suicide…was it really something we wanted to be doing in the middle of the night?

“Serena, come on.” The voice came again, this time sounding more like Field.

“Yeah, I’m coming,” I replied angrily. As I ran across the lawn, the grass whipped at the nightdress and my bare feet, highlighting just how badly I was dressed for an escape plan—or whatever the heck this was.

The lawn was larger than it looked from above, and it seemed to take forever for me to reach them. They kept waiting patiently for me, not moving, and I wondered why Field wasn’t at least helping me out a bit by coming to pick me up. At the halfway point between the house and my friends, I heard the flutter of wings. Thinking that Field had finally got his act together, I looked up expectantly. It wasn’t Field, it was a bunch of ravens, circling me and squawking loudly.

“Go away!” I hissed at them, picking up my pace. Instead of backing off, they started to fly around my head—not pecking at me, but smacking their large wings into my face and leaving me disorientated. I threw my hands up, trying to knock them back, but they continued to circle me rapidly, their cries loud in my ears as they blocked out the moonlight and all I could feel was their thick feathers bashing into my face and limbs.

“Get off!” I cried.

“Serena, come on,” the boys called out again.

This time I lost my temper. Summoning up my energy as best I could, and focusing it on the crying birds, I tried to manipulate them through syphoning—telling them to leave me alone while simultaneously trying to drain their energy so they’d back off. It was a skill that was underdeveloped in me, and I wasn’t sure how well it would work. To my surprise, I felt myself connecting with the creatures, sensing their strange, hysterical panic. The syphoning disorientated them, and I took my chance, racing ahead to meet the boys at the other end of the lawn.

“Thanks for the help!” I called out, panting as I ran.

The moment I got within a few paces of them, I watched in utter disbelief as they turned and started running into the swamplands.

“Are you kidding me?” I cried out, coming to a standstill.

“We’ll explain!” Jovi hissed. “We just need to get a bit further from the house.”

His tone was the same urgent call I’d heard earlier, and it sent a rush of goosebumps up the back of my neck. What had they discovered?

“Serena,” Field called out, his voice fast fading as they ran on ahead.

As dumb as this idea seemed, I didn’t want to be left here on my own. I started to rush through the swamplands, my bare feet slapping against soggy soil. I stuck to the areas where the trees grew, not wanting to sink into water. There was just enough moonlight to guide me, and I could make out their shadowy figures up ahead.

As I ran, I resolved to talk some sense into them when I finally caught up with them. I was beyond angry, and in the past, would never for a moment have even thought that either of them would behave this way.

“Can you wait up?” I cried out, almost stumbling on a vine that caught around my ankle. I paused to untangle myself, and when I looked up again, they had gone.

“Jovi? Field?” I called out.

My voice sounded hollow and echoed across the silent swamp. The crickets had stopped, and now there was just an airless silence that sank into my bones.

“Jovi?” I called again, hating the sound of my voice—timid and alone.

I moved forward, brushing aside a curtain of willow boughs. The moonlight shone down on a small island rise in the swamp. Field and Jovi were standing still, watching me. I couldn’t make out their features properly—their eyes were cast in shadow, their figures not looking… quite right.